Inside the Cult of Fashion Piercings

As models, editors, and celebrities alike flaunt ears punctured by more and more edgy jewels, it's never been more clear: The ear party is the new arm party. One editor gets pierced by the fashion industry's go-to guy and learns the secrets of bespoke adornment. Punk has never been so personalized—or pretty.

Just a year or so ago, fashion editors were a-twitter about the latest craze: delicate, gold jewelry carefully and subtly adorning vaguely unexpected places. Hammered rose gold midi rings, bar studs, and tiny pairs of hoops strategically placed together on the ear cartilage were the accessories du jour. But while at a recent event celebrating Jacquie Aiche's latest jewelry collection—who favors much more of a pile-it-on approach—I couldn't help but notice with a glance around the room that the ears of many of my peers could fit right in the pages of Aiche's lookbook. Those sweet little hoops were still there, sure, but they were accompanied by chains, cuffs, and studs strewn all across the ear's canvas. The penchant for all things delicate had clearly given way to much heavier adornment.

Fashion industry insiders—particularly those who work in New York City—know the name J. Colby Smith well. Smith, who goes by Colby, is undoubtedly the industry's go-to guy, having pierced the likes of Emma Stone, Zoe Saldana, Julianne Moore, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Erin Wasson, as well as countless other well-known names of the fashion set. His most notable fan is unquestionably Emily Weiss, industry darling and founder of Into The Gloss, who catapulted Colby into fashion consciousness by spreading the word about his prowess throughout the cool-girl crowd, and whom he credits as his "biggest cheerleader." Yet there's obviously something more to it all than just word-of-mouth. In a city of thousands of piercers, how has Colby garnered such cred within the most discerning circles? The answer lies in his approach: Not only is the act of piercing completely expert and his demeanor lovely but he also has a ridiculous eye for placement and what kind of adornment works for each individual. That's right: If bespoke piercing is a thing, then J. Colby Smith is the authority.

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So for my next piercing, I went straight to the source. On a very muggy morning two weeks ago, I met with Colby at his home base, tattoo and piercing parlour New York Adorned, with the intent of analyzing his personalized process firsthand. Just days before, my co-worker had described the bum rush that had occurred when she went to get a Colby piercing at the studio's opening hour. But for someone who incites a frenzy among the fashion set, Colby is soft spoken and quite friendly. He also has that particular, outwardly-quiet demeanor of an expert people-watcher; I get the feeling through our small talk that he is able to read me and my style like a book. And when I begin to prod him to walk me through his typical client consultation, he admits that this ability to observe is central to his expertise.

"The first thing I do is size the person up," he reveals. "I get an idea of what other jewelry they're wearing; what their aesthetic is. Are they wearing silver stuff or gold stuff? The things they're wearing are obviously the things they like, so I just try to build on that." Fighting the urge to ask him to detail exactly what he surmised from my own appearance—especially since I was wearing #normcore jeans and the 100% humidity had turned my hair into a stubborn, frizzy pouf—I instead asked him what happens when people think they know exactly what they want. "A lot of it comes down to [the fact that] certain things work for some people and not for other people," he says. And contrary to what you might think, ears are actually quite unique. "Sometimes people bring in pictures and say, 'I want this.' But it's nothing like their ear. I can do something similar that gives the same idea." Or, "sometimes people will find a piece of jewelry they like, and it's all about finding the right placement for that jewelry. Sometimes they come in thinking one thing, and leave with something totally different, because if they really love a piece of jewelry, it's all about the right spot for it. There are a few ways it unfolds."

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Of course, there are more places—erm, many more places—where one can get pierced beyond the ear. But the beauty of the ear, Colby says, is that there's a lot to work with, and the subtlety of the placement is what can transform a look from sweet to cool to edgy. The fashion industry might be more open to the different and weird as of late, but it's still slow to commit to anything too offbeat or obvious (says the girl pining after a nose ring). "I really push ear stuff a lot because I think it doesn't freak people out," says Colby. Still, "Now I see a lot more inner ear stuff. It used to be that the outer ear was kind of the safe zone. Now people are doing their conch, or a tragus piercing, or helix."

No, that's not gibberish, but different kinds of piercings that people can get, as illustrated above. And while terms like "conch" and "tragus" might be foreign to many, Colby maintains that the jewelry industry is headed in a direction that will make them far more mainstream—something we've seen a lot lately, too. "Not that I'm busier than I've ever been, but I think it's definitely appealing to a different crowd," he explains. "They're realizing that there are more places to put pretty things. All these piercings have been around since the '80s and '90s, but finally I feel like the jewelry is catching up." And with that, my eyes flicker to the display case near the front of the store, and I'm ready to get rolling with my own bespoke piercing experience.

Katie Friedman

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I get the easiest questions out of the way immediately: Though I remain convinced that belly button piercings are on their way back, I will be getting pierced on my ear, and on my left side, since I already have four studs on my right, and one is still healing. I opt for my cartilage over the lobe, since all seven of my current piercings are lobe piercings, and I'm ready to shake things up.

But then it was time to get specific. Colby asked, "So what are you thinking?" and I can tell you exactly what I was thinking: Conch! CONCH! What I said, however, was "Oh, I don't know, what do you think?" I had decided beforehand that if I was going to get a bespoke piercing, I was going to do it right and rely on Colby's expertise, first and foremost. "Well, my all-time favorite is the conch," he said. (YES, screamed my brain.) "I like it a lot, because I feel like it's unexpected. Something up higher on the cartilage: You've seen it, your friends have it, your mom has it. It's kind of nice to do something with a nice piece of jewelry that kind of throws people off." Conch it was.

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Katie Friedman

With our placement down, it was time to pick out jewelry. I knew in my mind that I wanted a ring: "Everyone tries to go for the fake ear cuff look, but this is more of the real deal," offered Colby, and that was exactly what I was looking for. And though I was tempted by a black diamond stud, I ended up settling on a lovely, delicate, rose gold hoop that would perfectly compliment my smattering of delicate Catbird finger rings. (This is likely a common styling choice, as Colby and the little Brooklyn nexus of delicate jewelry are frequented by the same crowd.) I do think I'll eventually embrace a heavier piece of jewelry in this hoop's place, but for the time being, it's perfectly lovely—and according to Colby, less is more. "A lot of people go overboard with the jewelry, and they just pick out all the cool stuff [in the store], but it's just so much," he says. "So we just start with one or two, and build around that. That's what ultimately lets you do more stuff—complimentary, subtle." Besides, for healing's sake, it's definitely the wiser option.

So now, there's just one thing left to do: Get pierced. We go back to the actual studio, which looks a lot like a doctor's office, and Colby and I make small talk (somewhat nervously, on my part), as he measures my ear with a wrench-looking instrument and then marks it up so we can ensure proper placement. Once I give him the okay, he asks me how I'm doing, and I realize that the old needlephobe in me has probably subconsciously inspired a look of terror on my face. I say, "Yep, I'm fine!" and silently tell myself to pull it together; if I was able to get a tattoo drilled into my ribs last summer, this is nothing. Before I know it, there is a needle sticking halfway through my ear. (Most expert piercers avoid piercing guns, as they are more difficult to sterilize and control, and are far more likely to cause tissue damage.)

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Katie Friedman

Katie Friedman

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After we've captured this creepy-but-kind-of-badass moment on film, Colby works his final magic and swaps out the needle for the gold hoop, screwing it into place. He hands me a mirror, et voila! It's everything I wanted, and after I walk out into the humid air again (after vowing to return in the very near future), I feel as if I've gone through some kind of rite of passage.

Katie Friedman

They say that once you get tattooed or pierced once, you'll keep going back again and again. I can't speak for everyone, but the fashion industry speaks for itself—or rather, their ears say it all. I think I will be going back for that nose piercing, if not a handful of other little embellishments here and there. And though Colby attributes the jewelry industry—and Emily Weiss—with pushing the current piercing craze, I have an inkling that he's not giving himself enough credit. There might be more pretty things, but we need someone to tell us where to put them, no matter if we're a Chanel-donning Upper East Sider, an off-duty model, a Rihanna obsessee, or a vaguely green, young fashion writer who has a bit of '90s nostalgia and a love for punk-y jewelry.

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